Kathmandu. Tucked in a small part of southern Scotland is a garden that harbors one of the rarest flora native to the foothills of the Himalayas. Craigieburn Gardens and Nursery in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, with a unique focus holds a corner of Nepal within itself, as reported by The Herald.

An amity that had begun 25 years ago in 1995 between Daten Ji, aka Dawa and Mrs. McGowan led the former to Scotland’s eventually flourishing the gardens. Mr. Dawa, previously a sherpa met Mrs. McGowan at one of his mountain trips and had saved her life when she had slipped into the icy cold Arun river. After receiving an offer initially to work for six months with Mrs. McGowan, he joined her at Craigieburn, attended the local college and passed his horticultural course.

From then on, there has been no looking back. Mr. Dawa moved to Scotland with his wife and family and tends to the garden that attracts visitors from across the globe. Over the years he has brought back seeds or cuttings of what plants he could from his visits back to Nepal and has had a great success rate. In the garden colorful Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags flutter close to the Himalayan blue poppies, Meconopsis, serving as a little part of home. Currently, they are working on a design project for next year’s Chelsea Flower Show, creating a Buddhist Himalayan themed garden, for which Dawa has been growing Himalayan plants.

The lockdown imposed following the onset of the coronavirus saw a dip in the number of visitors, making the gardens quieter than usual. On a positive note however, the locals have begun to pay heed to it, seeking sanctuary of nature in the grave times amidst the pandemic.

Mrs McGowan expressed her gratitude for the beautiful grounds to walk around, aware of how outdoors and nature can help with people’s wellbeing. Although Dawa is the happiest among his plants, he rested his mountain life altogether and offers his services to Moffat Mountain Rescue. Both of them together are keen on preserving the beauty of outdoors spaces beyond the concrete jungles